Switch construction



May 31, 1938. p. MlLLER 2,119,020

SWITCH lCONSTRUCTION y Filed April 29, 1936 @is 1W.: v@

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Patented May 31, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to a timed control system.

The chief object of this. invention is to provide a device which, in one form of `the same, is of multiple character, whereby the various timed cycle operations of a signal system may be obtainable therefrom.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawing and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the invention showing the same of multiple form. Fig. 2 is a conventional wiring diagram of the system circuits. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of the rotary switches.

In Fig. 1, I indicates a suitable container on the face of which is mounted three switches il,

I3. mounted a motor I4 which drives a speed reducer indicated generally by the numeral I5, driving in turn a three-step pulley structure I6 belt connected as at I1 to a complementary three-step pulley structure I8 carried by a shaft I9 rotatably supported in bearings and 2l formed in the end frames 22 and 23 respectively. Rigid with the shaft I9 is a cone 24. suitably secured in bearings 25 and 28 in the frames 23 and 22 respectively are cylindrical rods 21. These rods 21 lie below and to one side of the shaft I9 and the shaft is positioned therebetween. The container is provided with a cover structure which may be of detachable character and which is not herein shown completely. A portion 29 of said cover is, however, rigidly secured as at 28 to the container I0 and the same isy trapezoidal in character, the inclination of the two inclined sides corresponding to the inclination of the elements of the cone. The cover 29 has projecting therefrom along opposite sides and in spaced relation a plurality of pins 30 which project outwardly into elongated openings 3| in stationary portions 32 of the cover structure. ported on rod 21 and is slidably supported thereon and extending upwardly therefrom for a handle member 34 adapted to seat in any one of the recesses formed between any two adjacent pins 30.

An arm 35 is suitably secured as at 36 to the base 33 and the arm carries a counter-balance 31 adjustably secured thereto by the headless set l2 and screw 38.

base structure toward the cone. The base structure is slotted as at 39. The base is of insulation material.

SWITCH CONSTRUCTION Pearl L. Miller, Kokomo, Ind., assigner to Kemp Bros. Packing Co., Frankfort, Ind., a partnership composed to Ralph Kemp, Charles Kemp, and Walter J. Kemp Application April 29, 1936, Serial No. 76,993

and at right angles to the opening 31 and projects. outwardly from the base at opposite sides thereof as at 4I and 42. A spring member 43 bears on one end of the projecting shaft and is suitably secured to the insulation base as at 44. The stud 44 is locked to the base by a nut not shown and another nut on the same stud is adapted to secure a circuit wire thereto. Another stud 45 is similarly mounted in the base and is similarly adapted to secure another circuit wire. It also similarly secures a spring contact 46 to the base and said contact lies in a Aplane at right angles to the plane of contact portion 43. The other projecting end of shaft 40, indicated by the numeral 42, has rigidly secured to it at 41 a cam 48. Thus, when the shaft 40 is rotated, a circuit will be completed from spring Contact 43 to spring contact 46 at predetermined intervals, depending upon the rotation of the shaft.

9 Claims.

Within the container is suitably and the same is rubber tired as at 50 and this rubber tired wheel is adapted to frictionally engage the cone 24.

As the base structure is moved from the top to the bottom of Fig. l, or from the small end to the large end of the cone, the number of closures of the circuit per unit of time will increase in proportion to such shifting. Conversely, as the base is moved in the opposite direction, the number of circuit closures per unit of time will be decreased. This is. because the diameter of the rotating wheel, which is rubber tired, is fixed, whereas the diameter of the cone at any contacted section determines the peripheral distance faster per unit of time when contacting the larger end of the cone than it will when contacting the small end of the cone.

It will also be Observed, see Fig. 3, that the counter-balance 31 normally constrains the wheel into cone contact and normally retains` the handle member 34 into a selected recess. The pins 30 also prevent the friction wheel and its supporting structure from gradually creeping toward the slower end of the device, which is the smaller end. In the container IE) shown in Fig. l, the numerals 50 indicate two transformers, each of which has secondary terminals. 6|a, (SIb and Ic.

Reference will now be had to the circuit shown in Fig. 2. In said figure, 10 indicates one power main and 1l another. The line 12 from main 'Eil is associated with the switch I2 and the line 13 therefrom is connected to the motor I4, the line 14 therefrom, being connected to line 1I. Line 15 is connected to one terminal of one trans- An insulation base 33 is pivotally sup- The weight normally constrains the A shaft 40 extends through the base and at constant cone speed the wheel will rotate former 60 and another branch line T6 is connected to a corresponding terminal of another transformer 6B, Tl indicating the primary windings thereof. The other terminal of the other transformer is connected by the line 'i9 to the switch i3. The opposite terminals of these switches are connected together by the line 8U, in turn connected by line 8l to the return line il. rlhe secondary windings 82 of these transformers are shown provided with three taps which have terminals Gla, Bib and BIC. These taps provide a variation of secondary voltage. Since this transformer represents a to 18 volt transformation, the voltage across @la te Sib is 5 volts, from 6|?) across to Bic is l2 volts, while the voltage from Ela to @le is i8 volts. A line 33 connects to the bolt 45 shown in Fig. 4 and thus is electrically connected to the spring contact 46. The cam 48 is in electrical connection by the spring contact 4S and the latter, through the bolt 44, see Fig. fi, is in electrical connection with line 84 which is herein shown as having a branch 35 and a branch 8S connected to one terminal of a bell 3l and one terminal of a lamp bulb 88, respectively. The other terminal of each of these units is connected by lines 89 and 9%, respectively, to a line Si which connects to the tap die, line 83 being connected to the tap tia.

Thus, when the switch i3 is closed and switch i2 is closed, the cone is caused to revolve, which, if the tiltable switch structure is positioned as shown in Fig. 3, secures repetitious closing of the circuit through the cam i8 and the spring contact 46 for illuminating the lamp 88 and ringing the bell 8l.

If a multiple device is desired, the other transformer is utilized and duplicate signals are pro-- vided, such an arrangment being controlled by the switch l l. it will be apparent that either of the switches ll or i3 may be closed and thus either signal circuit conditioned for repetitions operation of the signals included therein. Opening the motor switch l2, unless one of the cams happens to register with its spring contact, will not result in the operation of the signal system.

In order to shift the device from one predetermined time cycle to another, the operator merely, while the motor is running and while the transformer control switch is closed, engages handle 3d, tilts the base structure away from the cone until the handle clears the outer ends of the adjacent pins 3G and then the entire base structure and switch arrangement is shifted longitudinally into the selected new position and when released, the weight 37 moves the wheel 5i] into cone contact and the handle "ill into the selected recess and retains the handle in the latter and maintains the wheel in cone contact.

While the invention has been described in great detail in the foregoing description and two forms thereof have been illustrated in the drawing, it is to be understood that such illustration and description is illustrative only and not restrictive in character. Various modifications of the invention which will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art are considered within the broad scope of the invention dened in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

l. An adjustable periodic switch device including a constant rotatable cone, a support the longitudinal axis of which is parallel to the surface of said cone, a base structure slidable longitudinally thereon, switch means carried by the base structure, and cone engaging wheel means supported by the base structure adapted for rotation by the cone for cyclic operation of the switch means, said base structure also being tiltable on said support toward and away from the cone for moving the wheel means into and out of cone engagement for switch operation or nonoperation during continuous cone rotation.

2. An adjustable periodic switch device including a constant rotatable cone, a support the longitudinal axis of which is parallel to the surface of said` cone, a base structure slidable longitudinally thereon, switch means carried by the base structure, cone engaging wheel means supported by the base structure adapted for rotation by the cone for cyclic operation of the switch means, said base structure also being tiltable on said support toward and away from the cone for moving the wheel means into and out of cone engagement for switch operation or non-operation during continuous cone rotation, and means for retaining the base structure on the support in the selected longitudinal adjustable position.

3. An adjustable periodic switch device including a constant rotatable cone, a support the longitudinal axis of which is parallel to the surface of said cone, a base structure slidable longitudinally thereon, switch means carried by the base structure, and cone engaging wheel means supported by the base structure adapted for rotation by the cone for cyclic operation of the switch means, said base structure also being tiltable on said support toward and away from the cone for moving the wheel means into and out of cone engagement for switch operation or non-operation during continuous cone rotation, the pivotal axis of the base structure upon said support being located below the axis of cone rotation and at a horizontal distance therefrom greater than the sum of the radii of the cone and the wheel means oi the respective circumferences of a section perpendicular to the cone axis and including the point of tangency therebetween, whereby the structure when tilted beyond the vertical toward the cone is normally constrained into cone engagement by the weight of the structure and when reversely tilted from the vertical is normally constrained and maintained in non-cone engaging position.

4. An adjustable periodic switch device including a constant rotatable cone, a support the longitudinal axis of which is parallel to the surface of said cone, a base structure slidable longitudinally thereon, switch means carried by the base structure, cone engaging wheel means supported by the base structure adapted for rotation by the cone for cyclic operation of the switch means, said base structure also being tiltable on said support toward and away from the cone for moving the Wheel means into and out of cone engagement for switch operation or non-operation during continuous cone rotation, and adjustable means carried by the base struct-ure for insuring predetermined structure contact between the cone and the wheel means.

5. A device as dened by claim 2, characterized by the retaining means including a member having a pocketed edge substantially parallel to the support axis with the pocket openings substantially perpendicular thereto and by the addition of a handle extension upon said base structure and projecting above said pocketed member, the handle extension being seatable in any one of the pockets and the upper end thereof being exposed for such selected positioning of the base.

6. A dual switch structure of periodic character, including a constant rotatable cone, a pair of supports each having a longitudinal axis parallel to the surface thereof, the cone being positioned therebetween, a base structure longitudinally slidable on each support, switch means carried by each base structure, and cone engaging wheel means on each base structure rotatable by thev cone and arranged for cyclic operation of its switch means carried by its base structure.'

7. A dual switch structure of periodic character, including a constant rotatable cone, a pair of supports each having a longitudinal axis parallel to the surface thereof, the cone being positioned therebetween, a base structure longitudinally slidable on each support, switch means carried by each base structure, and cone engaging wheel means on each base structure rotatable by the cone and arranged for cyclic operation of its switch means carried by its base structure, each base structure being tiltable on its support for moving its wheel means into and out of cone engagement for operation or non-operation of its switch means in cone rotation.

8. A dual switch structure of periodic character, including a constant rotatable cone, a pair of supports each having a longitudinal axis parallel to the surface thereof, the cone being positioned therebetween, a base structure longitudinally slidable on each support, switch means carried by each base structure, and cone engaging Wheel means on each base structure rotatable by the cone and arranged for cyclic operation of its switch means carried by its base structure, each base structure being tiltable on its support for moving its wheel means into and out of cone engagement for operation or non-operation of its switch means in cone rotation, the pivotal axis of each base structure being located below the axis of cone rotation and at a horizontal distance therefrom such that when the wheel means carried by the base structure is in cone engagement the base structure is tilted beyond the perpendicular through its pivotal support and toward the cone, said last mentioned base structure being tiltable beyond the perpendicular in the opposite direction to insure non-engagement of the wheel means thereof with the cone.

9. A dual switch structure of periodic character, including a constant rotatable cone, a pair of supports each having a longitudinal axis parallel to the surface thereof, the cone being positioned therebetween, a base structure longitudinally slidable on each support, switch means carried by each base structure and cone engaging wheel means on each base structure rotatable by the cone and arranged for cyclic operation of its switch means carried by its base structure, each base structure being tiltable on its support for moving its wheel means into and out of cone engagement for operation or nonoperation of its switch means in cone rotation, the pivotal axis of each base structure being located below the axis of cone rotation and at a horizontal distance therefrom such that when the wheel means carried by the base structure is in cone engagement the base structure is tilted beyond the perpendicular through its pivotal support and toward the cone, said last mentioned base structure being tiltable beyond the perpendicular in the opposite direction to insure nonengagernent of the wheel means thereof with the cone, and adjustable means associated with each base structure in addition to its constraint for securing predetermined pressure contact between the wheel means supported by said last mentioned base structure and the cone.

PEARL L. MILLER. 

